Attractive dark amberish brown with persistent foam and lots of lacing. Smell is on the vinegary side with a little deep fruity funk. Sharp and sudsy with that fermented fruit vinegar going up the nose. The lactobacillus is doing its job and eradicated any trace of malty sweetness.

Acidic but foaming constantly in the mouth helps the sippability. A rather intense, bitter woody note lingers in the aftertaste. Light body. Overall this tastes like apple cider that has soured. None of the typical beery flavors of malt and certainly no hops.

For this style, drinkability is about average. It feels like the acidity is attacking my teeth, which is not my idea of fun. This style still tastes like a chemistry experiment to me. From the 750 ml bottle purchased for $14 in Denver.

Enjoyed out of a brown 750 mL cork & cage bottle with no obvious dating on the bottle. There is a Julian code-like number on the label, but I seem to be reading it wrong, because there aren't 500+ days in a year. I do, however, have a reasonably good idea that this bottle is from 2012. Poured into a Boulevard Smokestack tulip glass.

Appearance - Pretty active carbonation, with a careful pour still yielding a massive three-and-a-half finger head the color of light brown sugar. Pocking begins almost immediately, giving the tan bubbles the look of Lorraine Swiss. Where the foam meets the body, you can see the carbonation continuing to work away, making the line between the bubbles and liquid blurry with activity. The body is a coffee brown with some translucence, but the combination of massive head and some haziness makes it difficult for light to pass through.

Smell - Initially gives off a powerful waft of lacto and balsamic vinegar--so far so good. It reminds me a bit of other American takes on the Flanders Oud Bruin, with a bit of underlying malty sweetness to balance out the sourness. Notes of oxidized green apple and musty oak are also present.

Taste - Some of the lactic tartness from the nose is present, but more subdued than I expected. Instead of a puckering effect, there is really more of a funky, woody characteristic to it. Along side that mustiness are notes of apple cider vinegar and sour cherries, but faint. And beneath it all is a surprisingly aggressive malt sweetness in the background. It really cuts through and almost overpowers that wonderful tartness. The finish has dried leather and wet hay alongside the slight twinge of the lacto, which never completely fades.

Mouthfeel - Medium-bodied and moderate-to-low carbonation, in spite of the huge head. Maybe low carbonation isn't the right word, but it's not very prickly to the tongue.

Overall, a solid take on the style, but I can't say I'm devastated that Odell hasn't produced this in a couple years. They make a much better sour beer that is still in production, and while I'm glad to have tried this one, in my opinion it doesn't quite hold up to the best in style from American brewers.

Taste: Oak, vanilla, tart cherries, sour grapes and pepper. Great balance of malty sweetness, sour notes, and spiciness. I purposefully waited a year to drink this as initial impressions indicated that the yeasts and bacteria needed more time to do their work. This is still not quite a sour bomb, but that is not a bad thing as this is so nuanced and tasty.

Feel: Medium body with ample carbonation. Finish is dry and tart.

Overall: Great example of a Flemish Ale. I hope they brew this on a semi-regular basis, as they do with Friek.